Tractor wheel



July 9, 1935. F. J. FUSS TRACTOR WHEEL Filed May 15, 1954 2 Sheets-$heet l I INVENTOR. 7716.1 7 J? 72156.

ATTORNEY.

July 5 1935. F, J uss 2,UU7,853

TRACTOR WHEEL Filed May 15', 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Fredric/r F215 6. BY

ATTORNEY.

Patented July 9,1935 J l 1 2 007 53 v =UNITED "STATES, PATENT OFFICE TRACTOR EEL Fredrick J. Fuss, Detroit, Mich. Application May 15, 1934, Serial No. "725,697

.2 Claims. (Cl. 301-46) This invention relates to tractor wheels and the teeth 9 of the bars 8, as will be understood the object of the inventionis to provide a tracfrom Fig. 2, and the worms in these plates are tor wheel having radial bars which may he moved reversed, as will be understood from Figs. 4 and 7. outwardly or inwardly in relation to'the wheel. 'Each worm plate is provided with teeth I 2 at the 5 Another object of the invention is to provide a outer edge, as will be understood from Figs. 1, 4,

tractor wheel having bars which are movable ra- 6 and '7, and, as shown. in Fig. 6, a shaft I3 is dially and which may be adjusted in position to provided 1 which is rotatably mounted in the extend from thewheel to a greater or less exbrackets Hi secured to adjacent spoke housings tent. 3. A pair of pinion gears l5 are secured to the 10 Another object of the invention is to provide a shaft I3 and a crank i6 is secured to this shaft 10 tractor wheel of the character described in which whereby the pinion gears may be rotated to all of the bars may be moved outwardly simultaturn the worm plates on the hub. At the outer neously or retracted simultaneously. end, each bar 8 is pivotally connected to a trac- A further object of the invention is to provide tion lug I! by means of the pin l8, shown at the 15 a tractor wheel in which all of the bars are moved bottom of Fig. 2. 5 to the same extent upon inward or outward ad- To operate the device, the operator turns the justment thereof. crank it thus turning theshaft I3 and pinion These objects and the several novel features gears i5 which are in mesh with the teeth I2 of the invention are hereinafter more fully deof the worm plates. This turns the worm plates scribed and claimed and the preferred form of causing the worms thereon to feed the bars 8 and 20 construction by which these objects are attained traction lugs outwardly as indicated in dotted is shown in the accompanying drawings in lines in Fig. 1. When the traction lugs are whichmoved outwardly to the desired extent, the ro- Fig. 1 is an elevation of a tractor wheel partly tation of the shaft I3 is stopped by releasing the 5 broken away to show the construction. crank l6 which will remain in position. The

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. gears I5 then hold theworm plates in fixed rela- Fig. 3 is an enlarged section taken on line 3-3 tion with the wheel so that the wheel may be of Fig.1. rotated and the traction lugs will be firmly sup- Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2 showported in extended position by the Worm plates. ing the face of one of the worm plates. If it is desired to retract the traction lugs, it is 30 Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1. only necessary to rotate the crank 16 in the re- Fig. 6 is an enlarged section taken on line 66 verse direction thus drawing the toothed bars and of Fig. 1. traction lugs inwardly. It will be noted that Fig. 7 is a view taken on line 1-1 of Fig. 2 the traction lugs may be extended only slightly showing the face of the other worm plate. or to a greater extent, as desired, as the amount 35 As shown in Fig. 2, a huh I is provided having of extension of the lugs may be accurately ada pair of flanges 2 near the center. A series of justed by rotation of the crank and worm plates. spokes in the form of housings 3 are secured to If any toothed bar 8 or traction lug becomes the flanges 2'by means of the bolts 4. At the broken, the entire spoke housing may be re- 40 outer end, each spoke housing is secured to the moved by disengaging the bolts which secure 40 rim 5 by means of the brackets 6 shown in Fig. 1 the brackets E, to the rim and disengaging the and each spoke housing is provided with an open bolts 4 which secure the respective spoke housside which is covered by the cover plate I. These ing to the hub flange 2. By providing a squared spoke housings are arranged in two series, one for end on each end of the shaft I3, the crank I6 each side of the wheel and the open sides of the may be removed when not in use and may be used 45 spoke housings, on each side of the wheel, face on either end of the shaft l3 on the interior or outwardly as will be understood from Figs. 1 and exterior side of the wheel. 2. Slidably mounted in each spoke housing is a From the foregoing description it becomes eviradially movable bar 8 and each bar 3 is provided dent that the device is very simple and efiicient with a series of teeth 9, shown in Figs. 1 and 2. in operation, will not easily get out of order, '50 A pair of worm plates I0 and H are rotatably may be very quickly adjusted to move the lugs mounted on the hub l and these two worm plates out to the desired extent and provides a device are each provided with a spiral worm or .rib, as which accomplishes the objects described. shown in Figs. 4 and 7. These plates are so Having thus fully described my invention, its

5 mounted that the spiral worm, or rib engages in utility and mode of operation, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is- 1. In a tractor wheel, a hub member, a rim member, two series of spoke housings extending radially between the hub and rim members and secured thereto, a toothed bar movable longitudinally in each spoke housing, the bars being arranged in series on opposite sides of the wheel, a worm plate rotatably mounted on each side of the wheel and meshing with the toothed bars of the respective series, the worms on the two plates being in spiral form and being reversed on one plate in relation to the other, a traction lug connected to the outer end of each bar and movable through the rim member, the outer periphery of each worm plate being provided with gear teeth, a pair of brackets each connected to a pair of adjacent spoke housings, a shaft rotatably mounted in the brackets and a pair of pinions secured to the shaft and meshing with the teeth of the respective worm plates, the arrangement being such that rotation of the shaft will turn both Worm plates in the same direction.

2. In a tractor wheel, a hub member, a rim member, two series of radial spoke housings connecting the hub and rim members, a toothed bar movable longitudinally in each spoke housing and. provided with a traction lug at the outer end, the toothed bars being positioned in the housings so that the teeth of each series of bars face outwardly, a worm plate for each series of toothed bars rotatably mounted on the hub in the exterior of the respective toothed bars and having a spiral Worm meshing with the teeth of the respective series of bars, the spiral worm on one worm plate being in a reverse spiral to the spiral worm of the other worm plate and manually operable means for turning the worm plates to an equal extent in either direction.

FREDRICK J. FUSS. 

